Endoscopic procedures have become the standard in modern medicine for conducting surgical procedures which are minimally invasive. Prior to the development of endoscopic procedures, surgery required direct visual access to the surgical area which oftentimes resulted in extreme trauma to the patient due to large incisions and the like. With the development of endoscopic instruments which include video cameras that can transmit an image of the surgical site to a video display, surgical procedures can be conducted in a less invasive manner. Although endoscopic procedures represent a great leap forward in terms of minimizing patient trauma, endoscopic procedures using video displays have also resulted in new problems.
One prerequisite for successful endoscopic procedures is that the surgeon must be skilled with the use of the endoscope so that the endoscope and associated endoscopic operative instruments do not cause unnecessary damage to the patient's tissues. In most endoscopic procedures conducted today, the surgeon may view a standard television (TV) monitor or video screen which displays an image of the surgical site as photographed by a video camera positioned within or adjacent the endoscopic instrument. One problem created by the use of endoscopes with integral video cameras is that the surgeon must be able to precisely manipulate the endoscope within the patient's body while looking away from the patient and toward the remote TV monitor. Since the standard TV monitor must be placed at a location substantially remote from the patient's body, surgeons have had to develop particular dexterity and skill in ensuring that the endoscope does not unintentionally damage body tissues during the surgical procedure.
Another problem associated with endoscopic procedures utilizing TV monitors or video screens is that the surgeon is dependent upon another person to control the exact type of image displayed on the TV monitor. More particularly, the surgeon may be able to adjust the focus of the image by a dial located upon the endoscope; however, neither the endoscope nor the camera attached to the endoscope have controls to vary the brightness, contrast or magnification of the image. Accordingly, the surgeon must direct operating room personnel to adjust the visual display as desired.
Another problem associated with the advent of endoscopic procedures utilizing video equipment is that since additional equipment is brought into the operating room, there is a concern for preventing contamination by the equipment of the sterile field of the operating room. Since TV monitors and other electronic equipment tend to naturally induce or create an electric charge, microbes clinging to dust particles tend to collect on this equipment wherein such microbes can then be transmitted to the sterile operating field of the operating room. It has been found that a surgeon placing his hand near a TV monitor displaying an image of the surgical area can attract undesirable microbes via the differential in electrostatic charge between the surgeon's hand and the TV or monitor screen.
Additionally, standard TV monitors and their associated controls are typically large and heavy and difficult to manipulate within the operating room. Accordingly, this equipment cannot be placed directly adjacent to or on the patient to enhance the surgeon's ability to manipulate the endoscopic instrument in a visually aligned position.
Each of the above-identified disadvantages of current endoscopic procedures utilizing standard video equipment is overcome by the invention claimed herein.